To: Board of Supervisors
From: County Administrative Office
Agenda Section: Departmental
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Board Meetings - Calendar Year 2025 and Recognition of Dec. 24, 2024 as a County Holiday for all Bargaining Groups
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Cancel Board meetings on the following dates in calendar year 2025;
• Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 (following a county holiday on Jan. 20, 2025)
• Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 (following a county holiday on Feb. 17, 2025)
• Tuesday, April 1, 2025 (following a county holiday on March 31, 2025)
• Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (5th Tuesday)
• Tuesday, May 20, 2025 (Pacific Offshore Wind conference and NACo WIR conference)
• Tuesday, May 27, 2025 (following a county holiday on May 26, 2025)
• Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (NACo annual conference)
• Tuesday, July 29, 2025 (Board break and 5th Tuesday)
• Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 (Board break)
• Tuesday, Sep. 2, 2025 (following a county holiday on Sep. 1, 2025)
• Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025 (RCRC annual conference)
• Tuesday, Sep. 30, 2025 (5th Tuesday)
• Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 (following All Hands Training Day on Oct. 13, 2025)
• Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 (county holiday)
• Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 (Thanksgiving holiday)
• Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 (CSAC annual conference)
• Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 (Board break)
• Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 (Board break and 5th Tuesday); and
2. Consider approving a paid County Holiday of Dec. 24, 2024, for all bargaining groups; and
3. Direct the Clerk of the Board to notify all county departments of these cancelled meetings.
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STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Core Services/Other
Strategic Plan Category: 9999 - Core Services/Other
DISCUSSION:
Humboldt County Code Section 211-1 provides that the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors (Board) will meet “on each Tuesday at 9 a.m., except for the fifth Tuesday of a month.” During 2025, months with five Tuesdays are April, July, September and December.
In addition, the code provides that: “[t]he Board of Supervisors, for cause, may dispense with any regular meeting or provide a different meeting location by an order entered in its minutes.” The Board has traditionally taken a 2-week summer break in the last week of July, the last week of July 2025 is a 5th Tuesday, and the first week of August, and a 2-week winter break at the end of December, the last week of December 2025 is a 5th Tuesday, and/or beginning of January. Last year, the Board canceled the meeting the week of the Pacific Offshore Wind conference in May, this calendar proposes doing the same this year. The National Association of Counties (NACo) Western Interstate Region (WIR) conference falls on the same week in May. Additionally, the Board has typically canceled meetings in July for the NACo annual conference, in September for the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) annual conference, and in November for the Thanksgiving holiday and the week of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) conference. In 2025 the CSAC Conference is the first week of December. Further, the Board has typically canceled meetings following a Monday holiday as the public does not have an opportunity to engage with county staff on agenda items the day before a Board meeting. This is recommended to continue through 2025. Additionally, this calendar reflects the schedule for the use of the board chambers by Human Resources for New Employee Orientation. This mandatory new employee orientation was approved by the Board on December 22, 2022. For the Board’s convenience, staff has attached a calendar showing proposed Board meeting dates in 2025.
Additionally, it is recommended that the Board of Supervisors recognize Dec. 24, 2024 as a holiday for all bargaining groups to include Elected and Appointed Department Heads; Management and Confidential Employees; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO Local 1684; Humboldt Deputy Sheriffs Organization - Law Enforcement Non-Management Unit 6; Humboldt Deputy Sheriffs Organization - Law Enforcement Management Unit 7; and County Attorney's Association. This action will be effective for the upcoming date of Dec. 24, 2024. Your county bargaining team is recommending that this additional holiday be extended to all bargaining groups. This is a sign of good faith and commitment to the county workforce that does not create a large impact on the county budget.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
All county funds
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Adopting the 2025 calendar at this point in the year will allow staff to prepare for the remainder of fiscal year 2024-25 and the first half of fiscal year 2025-26. Adding or reducing the number of Board meetings will impact the amount of staff time spent preparing for and attending Board meetings.
Approval of Dec. 24, 2024 as a County Holiday financial impact will mainly be in lost productivity. There will be additional holiday pay costs related to employees that must work to maintain critical services. Those costs are unknown and will be managed by the impacted departments.
STAFFING IMPACT:
Throughout the year there are varying deadlines for staff to gain Board approval on funding requests and changing Board dates may impact the timeline for staff to come to the Board for those approvals.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Board discretion.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. 2025 Board Calendar
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A